The Claret Jug is to tour the UK and Ireland as the countdown to The 150th Open Championship, taking place at St Andrews from July 12-15, continues.
The 150th Open Claret Jug Tour, in partnership with HSBC UK, will visit schools, golf clubs, city centres and HSBC UK branches from June 15 through to the Championship in mid-July.
Dating back to 1872, the Claret Jug is presented to the Champion Golfer of the Year at The Open. Originally produced by renowned silversmiths, Mackay Cunningham & Company of Edinburgh, the trophy has been on permanent display at the clubhouse of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews since 1928.
The tour will give fans the chance to follow in the footsteps of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jack Nicklaus and Sir Nick Faldo by getting up close to one of sport’s most recognised prizes.
The 150th Open at St Andrews will be the largest in the Championship’s history with a record-breaking 290,000 fans set to attend at the world-renowned Old Course from 10-17 July.
Starting in early June at Royal St George’s Golf Club in Kent, host of The 149th Open, the tour will visit eight cities across the UK & Ireland including Belfast, Dublin, Manchester, London, Leeds, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Birmingham before reaching St Andrews on Sunday 10 July.
Old and new golfing fans will be able to get their picture taken with the Claret Jug at a selection of venues including golf clubs, HSBC branches and public landmarks.
The tour will also seek to inspire the next generation of golfing champions by visiting schools and community groups along the tour route, as part of HSBC Golf Roots, the umbrella development programme of The Golf Foundation that HSBC has supported since 2011.
At the announcement of the tour, Tommy Fleetwood, runner-up at The Open in 2019, said: “The 150th Open will be a momentous occasion at St Andrews. With a record crowd cheering us on it’ll be an extra special event. The Claret Jug is steeped in so much history and is a truly unique piece of silverware that we all dream of getting our hands on. The Claret Jug Tour will give fans across the UK & Ireland a unique chance of getting up close to the legendary trophy and is a fitting way to celebrate the landmark of the 150th Open.”
Ian Stuart, Chief Executive of HSBC UK commented: “As long-time supporters of golf all over the world, we know how special The Claret Jug is. We are proud to partner with the R&A to support the Claret Jug Tour in celebration of The 150th Open, offering fans of all ages the opportunity to engage with one of the most sought-after trophies in world sport.
“We are also excited to be able to engage schools and community groups in the Tour through our HSBC Golf Roots partnership. The HSBC Golf Roots programme has introduced more than five million young people from a wide range of backgrounds to this great sport – teaching important life skills such as confidence, resilience, and emotional wellbeing.”